The Man Behind "Segun Gele'

Segun Gele

My passion for headtie started as a young inquisitive man always wanting to help my mum look good by any means or way. Like every other women she would always struggle and fight with her headties hours before we go to church on a Sunday; the outcome? Not too good so I’ll always try my best to help tie it on my head and fit it on my mama’s head which always looked better than whatever she earlier made and as a proud mother she would wear it to church. It got to a point where her headtie was a way to tell if I was home for the weekend from school because her headtie was exceptionally different. Thanks mum for your love and support al through the years.

Time went by, I improved on all I learnt by helping my mum and graduated to helping some brides do there gele on the traditional wedding after styling the bridal hair for the next day and this was as far back as 1995/96 in Nigeria.
  Gele tying as a means of lively hood started April of 2003 in Atlanta GA at my friends wedding Tai Akinola where I did her wedding; standing at the car park  waiting to get in the car I sighted this gorgeously dressed lady ( The Iya-Alaje of Atlanta) with a hat on her head and her headtie in her hands , I approached her asking to help her with it and she politely refused; I then told her to allow me tie it and if it does not come out good I’ll pay her $5 she said NO and challenged me to $7 if I do it at all! I got the $7 with lots of applauds from onlookers at the parking lot. She was happy and got lots of complements for looking extra-ordinarily good and I made my first $265 form tying gele at parties.

I later moved down to Houston in Sept of 2003 where I met a very good friend Mariam Mogaji a Fashion Icon and trend setter when it comes to African dressing she tops my chat and so does her gele. We became friends and she invited me to he Aunties birthday party in October of 2003 where I dazzled them with my gele tying skills, I got booked for the rest of the year and the subsequent years event which led to my success story  as SEGUNGELE a name I adopted from the popular Houston band KINGS RHYTHM.

www.segungele.com